First Love
by MadBlossomingPrincess
Summary: Years can pass, people can change, and love can fade... but is it ever too late to go back to your first true love and find happiness? When Megumi had given up on Yahiro and was moving on, he comes back and she figures out that some things never go away.
1. Chapter 1

MBP: Okay, so I got kinda bored and wrote this…

Rini: No kidding…

MBP: Shush! Anyways, I'd appreciate any reviews on this one, because I'm not sure how it turned out…

Ama: Hey, Kio? I…

MBP: He's not here. And neither is Taru.

Ama: Darn!

Rini: MBP owns NOTHING!

MBP: Oh, and just so you know… this has nothing to do with "Letters for Yahiro"; I just liked writing Mitsuru, and wanted to use him in something else. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter One<strong>_

Megumi glared out her window, contemplating throwing things at the happy couple outside of her apartment so that they'd stop eating each other's faces and leave. However, her practical side won out, and she closed her window, sitting at her desk with an irritated sigh.

It was Saturday night, and Megumi was alone in her apartment, staring at a piece of paper that had been blank since she pulled it out, and would likely remain so for a long time now.

Just five years had passed since Megumi and her friends had graduated from high school, and everything had changed. Kei and Hikari had gotten married, and as far as Megumi knew, their marriage was one big competition. Akira and Tadashi had moved in together, and Akira now was able to take every chance to torment Tadashi's mother for what she had to go through during high school. Jun had gone overseas for college, and surprisingly, Sakura had remained in Japan and was helping run her father's company. They were still together, working out everything long-distance. Ryuu had gone to live with Finn almost right after graduation, and was working on gaining the trust and affection of her people so he could be considered a proper suitor.

Megumi was happy for her friends, but she did wish they'd keep in contact a bit more and actually said more than congratulations for the many good reviews she got on her performances. Her only long letters came from Jun, who asked how she was doing and if anything interesting was happening to her. She could be grateful that she had a twin brother that wouldn't just forget her existence after high school.

Megumi took a glance at the picture that was on her desk, smiling at her friend's smiling faces before shoving it into the same drawer she shoved everything that reminded her of Yahiro.

She hadn't heard from Yahiro since graduation day, when he came to congratulate them and then disappear off the face of the planet. Sakura had been the one to tell them that he was travelling, and he wasn't likely to contact anyone. Megumi had known, but it still hurt when she found out he was talking to Kei and Hikari, and not her.

Megumi shook away the negative thoughts and bit the end of a pencil thoughtfully. She didn't need to write another song yet, but just waiting to leave for America was leaving her anxious and too likely to think about things she didn't want to think about.

Humming quietly, Megumi scribbled a few words before crumpling up the paper and tossing it towards the trash can. True to her expectations, the paper flew too far to the side, and she had to pick it up herself.

Megumi heard her phone ring in the kitchen as she threw the paper away and dashed for the kitchen quickly, tripping over a chair in her hurry. "Hello?" She said breathlessly, trying to be quiet out of habit.

"Yamamoto-san?"

Megumi recognized her producer instantly. "Yes Kurosaki-sama?"

"I know you said you don't want to do any interviews, but… this is a good chance for some free publicity before you leave," Her producer went straight to the news, just like he always did.

Megumi listened half-heartedly to what her producer called the positives of doing an interview on television, flipping through a magazine absently.

She was well aware that her career was slower because people didn't know her outside of her music, but she'd avoided the public eye because too much attention still made her uncomfortable, and she didn't feel ready to deal with that. However, doing an international charity concert with other major celebrities would put her in the public eye anyways…

"I'll do it," Megumi said at her first chance, feeling slightly reckless, but for once not caring. She smiled as she finally got a chance to hang up the phone, humming to herself while she memorized the details she had written down to prepare for this.

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

The lights were bright. Even for just a sit-down interview in front of a live audience, the lights were bright enough to burn Megumi's eyes until she got used to them. She thanked her lucky stars for getting her there early enough to get ready and talk to some of the audience members that had gotten there early.

It was too soon for Megumi when she was sat down on the couch and they started the show. Using the practice years of dealing with a certain despicable jerk had given her, Megumi faked a smile and waved at the audience, waiting for the host she hadn't gotten a chance to meet.

She blushed when he walked onto the stage. He was attractive, and Megumi was still shy around good-looking people. His black hair fell into gray eyes that were filled with the exact knowledge of why she'd blushed and looked at the audience instead of him.

"Hi, I'm Mitsuru," He extended a hand that Megumi took tentatively, sitting across from her comfortably. "It's nice to meet you, Megumi Yamamoto." He smiled at her, his face completely open. "Though I think a lot of people can say that. Any reason you decided to do this?"

Megumi sat up, not expecting the sudden question. "Just…" His almost unseen smirk prompted her to reply in a way she would normally never do. "The host was just too charming and attractive to resist." She laughed to show she was joking, earning a wave of applause from the females in the audience.

Mitsuru raised his eyebrows, obviously a little thrown back, and more than a little amused. "Now, that's a side of her we don't see in concert. What else don't we know?" Megumi opted to just look down, not sure what to say now that she had done something so drastically out of character for her.

"So, Megumi-chan… can I call you that?" Megumi nodded frantically, wishing for the sketchpad that had helped her so much when she was younger. She'd stopped using it two years ago, using only when she was feeling overwhelmed. "Megumi-chan, you're well-known for angelic voice. Where did that come from?"

Megumi talked about her parents for a bit, never letting the audience doubt she respected and loved them, as well as all the friends who had given her support. They moved on to her favorite experiences that she had used to create some of her more popular songs, and then to some of her favorite hobbies outside of her career.

"Do you do anything just to relax?" Mitsuru asked, leaning forward as if he was really interested.

"I have a friend who loves to cook, and she taught me some of her recipes," Megumi admitted. "I'm not exactly the greatest cook, but she gives me tips, and tries out the things I've tried to make."

"You can't cook?" Mitsuru asked, bringing up a self-admitted love of food. Megumi laughed cheerfully.

"I can't cook things people would consider meals," Megumi giggled, remembering her last attempt at cooking a whole chicken. "But if you want desserts, I can always make you some!"

"So if someone got a backstage pass for one of your concerts, namely the charity concert coming up, could they expect some homemade sweets from you Megumi-chan?"

"If they want them, of course!" Megumi was completely relaxed now. Mitsuru reminded her of someone, but she couldn't figure out who it was.

"Okay, so girls love your songs, with all the romance and lovey-dovey feelings to them," Mitsuru pretended to be annoyed at the words he was saying, but he was leaning closer. "Where do those lyrics come from?"

Megumi looked down, uncomfortable suddenly. "Um… I really liked this guy in high school," she said hesitantly. "Like… I was in love with him. And he, um… didn't feel the same. But with the songs, I remember how amazing it was to know what it was like to feel that way, and I could imagine another ending to it."

There was silence in the audience, and Megumi could practically feel the sympathy rushing towards her from the audience. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, and that was more than she had shared with even her closest friends.

Mitsuru took her hand in a gesture of comfort. "Well, that guy's an idiot, don't you all think?"

The audience reacted in Megumi's favor, with a very small minority not reacting at all. The rest of the interview was relatively easy, with Mitsuru avoiding more personal topics, and Megumi relaxing.

Before she knew it, the interview was over, and she was backstage with Mitsuru, who was talking to her.

"You know… about that guy you liked?" Mitsuru asked, stopping Megumi before she left.

"Y-yes..."

"I think you were an idiot too," Mitsuru shrugged, not joking about it. "For just giving up on him."

Megumi's anger came out, held in only by the self-control she'd worked hard to get. She bit her lip in an effort not to scream at him and make his eardrums burst.

"But… he was a bigger idiot," Mitsuru saw her reaction and smirked at her triumphantly. "After all, you're kinda a cool girl." He began to walk off, waving to her with his back turned. "See ya!"

Megumi seethed as she was driven away, growling at herself. Now she realized who he reminded her of. Mitsuru was exactly like Yahiro, right down to being able to pretend to be someone he wasn't!

The anger hadn't gone away, even when she got to her apartment to discover a message from Alisa.

Megumi clicked the button to play the message, pulling out a bag of cookies as she did so.

**"Hey Megu-chan! It's me, Alisa! I know you won't be back yet, but I just saw the interview, and I am flattered that you mentioned me in the interview! By the way, the ham didn't turn out half-bad… you're getting better with meat! If you keep this up, you can work at my restaurant when you retire from singing a gazillion years from now! Oh, and I have big news for you! Call me back!"**

Megumi chuckled, dialing Alisa's number into her cell phone, holding it with one hand as she scarfed down cookies with the other. "Megumi! Hi!"

"Hello…" Megumi mumbled with her mouth full. She swallowed the cookies painfully and repeated it. "Hello."

"Okay, so you're not busy tonight, are you?" Alisa asked, waiting for Megumi to tell her no. When she did, she went on a rant about this guy she'd been seeing, and a cousin, and a friend of a friend, and going to dinner. "And he's interested in meeting you, and wants to have dinner tonight!"

"Where?" Megumi walked to the closet, expecting someplace fancy to come out of Alisa's mouth. She wasn't disappointed. Alisa blabbered on and on about this fancy French restaurant, and dancing, and cute boys.

"How does Aoi feel about this?" Megumi asked when she got a chance to say anything.

"He's not happy, considering Daddy's got him so busy with company stuff, but he told me he's not going to leave me alone with a boy that late at night," Alisa complained, sounding like she was about to start baking. "Anyways, we'll pick you up at seven, okay? We're meeting the guys at the restaurant! Wear that hot red dress you bought on our last shopping spree! Bye bye!"

Megumi laughed at her friend, closing her phone as she went to relax and unpack her bag from the interview. She frowned at an envelope that fell out of her bag, opening it slowly.

**'Hello Megumi-chan. I must say, doing the interview was one of the more interesting things I've done in a long time, even if you were a bit of an idiot. I'll see you later. –Mitsuru'**

Megumi scowled, throwing the letter onto her stove and turning it on gleefully. She had no intention of seeing him at all, especially since he reminded her of the last jerk she'd liked. Megumi wanted someone nice and uncomplicated, like the guy Alisa was sure to have set her up with for tonight!

And on that note, Megumi went to her room to relax and get ready for the night.

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><p>MBP: I like writing future Megumi… she's so much fun to write when she gets less… quiet and stops going with the flow so much… but I might have to tone it down, because it gets out of hand…<p>

Rini: Yep!

MBP: I hope having Mitsuru doesn't get confusing... Like I said, this has nothing to do with "Letters for Yahiro", and I just enjoy having a fun character to write that can be a good rival for Yahiro (because you know, I think Yahiro is perfect, so good rivals are hard)… Anyways, I hope you liked what's going on with this!

Rini: Hope you enjoyed and please review! Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

MBP: I know, it's been a while. But this chapter hated me! I swear, why did I think I liked writing Mitsuru? He's being a pain in my…

Rini: HEY!

MBP: Sorry. Anyways, so I finally finished after writing for hours. Well, hours each time I tried. I think I've spent over five hours on this chapter because it hates me.

Kio: But you like Mitsuru…

MBP: I will try remembering that before I try writing him again. Anyways, please enjoy!

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Two<strong>_

Megumi was frozen in the restaurant, eye twitching in irritation. Alisa hadn't noticed her yet, which gave Megumi plenty of time to examine their companions at the table.

Alisa's date, Makoto, was unsurprisingly normal. Her dates generally had the same things in common; they all had brown hair and eyes, they all dressed in designer suits, and they all bored her by the end of the first week of their relationship. Makoto, for all that he stared at Alisa like she was a goddess come to earth, was going to be disappointed very quickly.

However, that wasn't Megumi's problem… her problem was that Mitsuru, her irritating show host from that morning, was sitting next to an empty chair at the table.

Unfortunately, before Megumi could do the smart thing, and run away, Alisa noticed her and waved.

"Megumi! Yoo-hoo, Megumi, over here!" Alisa looked pleased with herself, in a low-cut black dress and heels. Megumi felt like a child again, even though her red dress was just as revealing in some ways.

Megumi walked over to the group, forcing a small smile on her face. She nodded to Mitsuru, who only smirked as if he planned the whole thing.

Megumi diverted her attention before getting drawn into a conversation about food by her best friend. Her attention was stolen once more by a passing waiter, who left the smell of chocolate cake behind in the air. Not noticing that she was being watched closely, she stared after the waiter childishly, keeping her eyes on the cake until it was placed on someone's table.

"Is that waiter that attractive that you can't look at me Megumi-chan?" Megumi's eye twitched again, and she glared as he laughed. "I thought I was too charming and attractive to resist."

Alisa laughed at that, clinging to her date's arm. "You are at that; and so is Makoto. I wouldn't be out tonight if he hadn't convinced me."

Discreetly, so that Alisa and Makoto wouldn't notice, Megumi faked a gag and covered it with a laugh. On her left, Mitsuru did the same thing.

"May I take your order?" The waitress showed up, sounding bored until she noticed Mitsuru at the table. She stood up straighter instantly and shoved her hair back out of her face. "My name's Asami; I'll help you with anything you need!"

Alisa scanned the fake blond over with critical eyes. Her makeup had been plastered on, likely in the break room in the back, and her uniform was wrinkled and dirty. _Megumi's got nothing to worry about._ That satisfied her, so she placed her order, and Makoto's as well, since he was still staring at Alisa like she was perfection.

"I'll have a…" Megumi paused as another chocolate cake passed by the table. "I'll have the crab cocktail please."

"Of course… and what would you like?" Asami was trying too hard to flirt, but Mitsuru either didn't notice or care.

"I'll have a clam linguine in white wine sauce. Oh, and Asami?"

She leaned forward noticeably. "Yes?"

"Can I have a chocolate cake as well?" Megumi's head snapped to the boy as he shrugged. "After the food's been delivered, of course."

"Of course; I'd love to get you that," Asami wrote everything down and had to go to another table, but not without another backwards glance and wink to Mitsuru.

Alisa giggled quietly. "That wasn't obvious… at all."

"What can I say? The women love me." Megumi rolled her eyes, making sure that he saw it. "Well, most do."

Megumi rolled her shoulders back, sending Alisa a pained look that her friend didn't even notice. In fact, Alisa was staring out the window and suddenly taking an interest in the wine menu, despite the fact Alisa never drank. Turning slightly, Megumi noticed Aoi outside the restaurant, talking to someone she didn't know.

Quickly, Megumi stood up, muttering about the restroom, tugging Alisa with her. Alisa kept the menu up to her face, trying to hide discreetly until they were in the bathrooms. "Why is he here?" Alisa panicked once out of sight. "He's supposed to be working, not following me around and standing outside when I'm on a date! I mean really! I'm 23, not 13! Why is he still trying to smother me?"

Megumi patted her friend on the shoulder, biting her lip. Alisa's feelings for Aoi were complicated; on the one hand, the smothering annoyed her to the point of destroying random objects, but on the other hand, he was the one man she couldn't get out of her head.

Alisa sighed, finishing her rant and getting herself under control. "Well, I'm not letting him ruin it. Makoto's actually… interesting, you know? And while he's fawning over me right now, sometimes he's just… when he really gets into something, he gets this look in his eyes. One he's never sent me, and I want him to!"

Ah, so that was different. Maybe this kind of talk was why Aoi wasn't in the office like he normally was. Megumi smiled, happy that Alisa was relaxing while talking about an abstract art exhibit Makoto had taken her to. If she hadn't known Alisa hated anything abstract, she'd have sworn Alisa was the one obsessed with it.

"So… what do you think of Mitsuru?" Megumi's smile disappeared quickly.

"He reminds me of Yahiro," Megumi muttered, sighing slightly. Alisa murmured sympathetically and this time, she patted Megumi's shoulder.

"I know he kinda acts like him," Alisa replied, hand on her friend's shoulder. "Right down to that attitude that doesn't let someone he worries about know he's nervous. You weren't here, so you didn't see it."

Megumi frowned thoughtfully. "See what?"

Alisa's eyes lit up in glee. "Well, we were all a little early; this place likes to give away reserved tables if they're not there on the dot. So he spent that time grilling me about you."

"About what?"

Alisa rolled her eyes. "About everything! What you liked, things you didn't go through in your interview, if I thought you would hate him, stuff like that. Honestly, it was like high school. Cute, but a little juvenile."

She paused for a moment. "Kind of reminds me of Mitsuru. Except he's not exactly cute. He's a god who came to earth."

Megumi couldn't fight the laugh, shaking her head slightly. "You have a date," she reminded her friend with raised eyebrows.

"I still have eyes," Alisa retorted, looping her arm through Megumi's. "And you didn't see his face when you walked in, did you? He was totally blown away."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Megumi said honestly.

"You were late," Alisa said, realizing she hadn't scolded Megumi about it. "Remind me to bug you about that later."

"I got caught by fans outside!" Megumi protested. Alisa thought and decided that was alright if that was the reason.

"Well, he started fidgeting, the way you do when you think someone's not going to show up," Alisa grinned devilishly. "He totally likes you."

Megumi squirmed, reaching for the bathroom door. "He probably just doesn't like feeling someone won't fall over him. And I won't."

"We'll see about that. There is no need to keep obsessing over Yahiro. You could do so much better," Alisa wasn't too fond of Yahiro, especially the way that he kept hurting Megumi. In Alisa's opinion, the best part of Megumi's relationship with Yahiro was when she stopped trying so hard.

Megumi paused, thinking of every time she'd tried to get Yahiro to love her, only to be shot down. Even she'd thought she was an idiot. Maybe everyone had.

But things were different now. Yahiro didn't even try to talk to her, and she wasn't going to be the first to reach out this time. She gave up not long after graduation, and five years was a long time. She was a successful singer, an idol that girls dreamed of becoming.

"You're right," Megumi replied quietly. "But he was my first love. You never quite get over that."

Alisa thought about that and nodded. Her crush on Ryuu might have faded very quickly, but he was the first man she'd thought she was in love with. Like it did with every secretly, and not so secretly, romantic girl, it meant something.

"Well, let's go get ourselves some food and enjoy our dates!" Alisa cheered up, tugging on her friend's arm. "If it makes you feel better, you can shoot Mitsuru down if you don't like him."

"That would be mean!" Megumi protested, smiling at a passing waiter. He tripped as he passed them, turning to keep an eye on her as they went back to their table.

"Oh, like smiling at waiters and making them fall over their feet for the pretty woman isn't?" Alisa retorted.

"What waiter?" Mitsuru looked up as they returned.

Megumi rolled her eyes, glancing at Alisa as she and Makoto returned to some not-so subtle flirting. Their food arrived quickly, and Asami continued to try flirting with Mitsuru, but he was having none of it. He sent her on her way with a polite smile, talking easily to the others.

"So Megumi-chan, how's the crab cocktail?" Mitsuru eyed it closely, noticing it was almost gone. "If how fast you ate is any clue, it's delicious."

"It is." Megumi looked at his linguine, biting her lip to stop herself from asking if she could try it. It looked amazing. It looked like something she could eat for hours and never stop, despite the fact that carbs were bad. Carbs would be worth it.

"Wanna trade?" Mitsuru offered with a smile. "A bite of mine for a bite of yours?"

Megumi pushed her food forward without hesitation, raising her eyebrows expectantly. After a moment, Mitsuru's smile grew into a grin and he pushed his forward as well. Megumi took a bite of the linguine and had to force back a happy sigh. It tasted as good as it looked.

Mitsuru laughed, and neither of them noticed the other two at the table staring. Mitsuru rarely laughed; chuckled if something was overly amusing or tormented someone, but laughing? Laughing was rare.

Alisa nudged Makoto, indicating that they should leave the two alone. He agreed, though that might have been because she quietly whispered that they could be alone as well.

"Well, I have work tomorrow," Makoto stood, waving his hand for the bill. "I'll take Alisa home."

Megumi stared at her friend, who was obviously plotting something and trying not to show it. "I should get home too."

Mitsuru stood when she did. "Is that cake I ordered going to waste then? I'm not so big of a chocolate fan that I can eat the pieces they give out."

Megumi hesitated just long enough for Alisa to agree to stay for her. "Megumi loves chocolate cake! She'd be glad to stay!"

With a glare to her best friend, Megumi sat back down. She missed the slight smile on Mitsuru's face as she did so, glancing out the window to see Aoi was still there. "Be careful," she warned Alisa quietly.

Alisa shrugged. If she decided to go out with Makoto, it was her decision. She was 23 now, and earlier panic aside, Aoi wasn't in any position to stop her. "Tell me how the cake is."

"I will…"

Mitsuru sat across from her as they waited for the cake, both of them silent for an awkward moment. "I'm sorry."

The apology surprised Megumi enough to jolt in her chair. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry. For earlier." He was mumbling, making it slightly hard to hear. "You're not an idiot."

Megumi blinked. He was apologizing for calling her an idiot? "Um… no big deal?"

He looked up at her, eyebrows raised skeptically. Megumi shrugged her shoulders as casually as she could. "I'm a little used to it," she admitted.

"Which is almost worse," Mitsuru added on, smiling wryly. "What? It's kind of wrong when someone actually is used to being insulted."

Megumi shrugged again. "It was better than being ignored."

Mitsuru looked down at his plate. "You really loved him?"

Megumi paused, and then nodded. "Yeah, but… he hasn't even tried to talk to me in five years, and after a while… why keep trying?"

The man looked up, shaking his head. "Well, he's an idiot. I can at least keep thinking that. But I think you were smart to move on. After all, the one you should be with could be anywhere."

Megumi laughed. "You sound like Alisa. She said the same thing when I was moving on."

"She's smart. Just not smart enough to realize her former caretaker is in love with her." Megumi laughed again at how easily he said it.

"She'll deny it even if she knows. He treats her like a kid all the time," Megumi cheered up as a giant piece of cake was delivered to their table by a suddenly unhappy Asami. From the look of things, Alisa had said something to the girl before leaving. "Thank you."

Asami nodded, moving away silently, glancing over her shoulder at Mitsuru before heading back to the kitchen. Mitsuru merely watched as Megumi picked up her fork and took a bite of the cake.

Megumi really did sigh happily as she tasted the best chocolate cake she'd ever had. Half the cake was gone before she realized that Mitsuru hadn't touched it. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Mitsuru was smiling, not even touching his fork. "I was afraid you'd stab me with your fork if I tried. Is it that good?"

The indignant glare she was trying to hold onto decided to fade away as he was obviously joking. "It is. Are you going to try it?"

"I don't like chocolate," Mitsuru returned, shrugging as he picked up his fork. "But what the hell. Why not?"

He took his bite, jokingly pulling the plate closer to him. Unwillingly, Megumi laughed, pulling it back to the middle. "Share!"

"You ate half of it!" He protested, taking another bite.

"You don't like chocolate," Megumi returned, taking a bite of her own. They kept talking, taking bites between sentences until the rest of the cake was gone. For a moment, Megumi hesitated to stand up.

Once Mitsuru apologized, she'd just… relaxed. Megumi didn't think she'd been this comfortable around boys, except for Ryuu and Jun. For once, it felt… nice. Even though there wasn't anything to stay around for, Megumi didn't want to leave.

"I should probably go," Megumi said quietly, standing slowly.

Mitsuru stood with her, looking as if he was trying to find something to say. He glanced over his shoulder and lit up. "How about a dance before you go?"

She looked at him, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Mitsuru gestured with his hand to the dancing couples in the restaurant, largely ignored by the rest of the patrons. "They play live music so people can dance together," he explained, offering his hand. "So how about a dance?"

Megumi hesitated, and then took his hand with a smile. "One dance."

After all, what could it hurt, if Megumi did have one dance before returning to a lonely apartment?

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

Five dances later, the pair exited the restaurant, Megumi holding Mitsuru's arm gently. "Thank you," she said with a grin. "The cake was delicious."

Mitsuru hadn't been lying when he said he didn't like chocolate, but watching her face light up when he actually started eating the cake he'd bought her was worth it. "Anytime."

She unhooked her arm from his easily, stepping away. "Well, my ride's this way. Good night."

"Wait!" She was less than ten steps away when Mitsuru caught up to her. At her confused look, he explained, "I was raised right. I don't let a woman walk alone at night, no matter how far it is."

"Ah, is a gentleman hiding in you?" Megumi teased, earning herself a raised eyebrow and a slight blush on the man's face. She laughed as she pointed it out, taking his arm again.

"I've never hid it," He muttered, shaking his head as she continued to laugh. "It's not funny. Why are you laughing?"

"You're still blushing!" Megumi giggled, changing the subject to his relief. "So, how do you know Makoto? Or is it Alisa?"

"It's Makoto. Frankly, your friend kind of scares me; do you know how protective she is of you?" Mitsuru pretended to shudder. "But actually, it's through a friend of mine from school. Makoto and I don't know each other very well."

"And yet you called him to get me here tonight?" Megumi was officially confused.

"Ah… yes?" Mitsuru shrugged, confused about it himself. "You're different. Interesting different, not bad different. I guess I just wanted to know you better, and I figured you wouldn't talk to me after what I said after the show."

"I wasn't going to," she admitted with a wry smile.

"I'm normally right about that stuff. I was prepared to grovel once the others were gone," Mitsuru added on, laughing when she raised her eyebrows at him. "The fact that you forgave me after I just apologized is very humbling."

"If you apologize, you realized you did something wrong, so why stay angry?" Megumi shrugged with an embarrassed smile. She stopped walking, surprising the man at her side. She pointed to another man who was leaning against a car. "That's my driver."

"Ah." He was a little disappointed it was time for her to go already. He was enjoying her company for once. As she walked away, he called out. "Hey Megumi-chan?"

She turned with a smile. "You can just call me Megumi."

"Megumi," Mitsuru tried it and decided he liked dropping the honorifics. "Maybe we can do this another time?"

For a moment, she had to think. She'd like that; it had been a while since she hadn't thought about Yahiro on these dates Alisa liked to try setting her up on. Mitsuru, despite her first impression that he was a jerk, was actually kind of a nice guy.

She was going to ignore the fact that Yahiro was the same way and focus on how Mitsuru was more honest and apologized for being a jerk.

Megumi nodded, smiling at the man cheerfully. "I'd like that."

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

The office was the only one lit at the late hour, the man working inside being the only one to continue working when all normal people were fast asleep. He preferred it later, when no one tried to talk to him.

Finishing the paperwork, he sighed, stretching out to relieve tense muscles. In just five years, he'd made this company the second biggest in Japan. The fact that it was only second best was fixed by remembering that the man who had the biggest company was a freaking monster, not to mention, might be his only friend now.

That didn't matter much to him; he'd chosen to disappear from his school friend's lives after graduation. He needed to focus his attention on his company, needed to feel like he was good enough for himself. Plus, they'd forced their company on him during school; he'd never tried to spend time with them in the first place.

Somehow, rationalizing it didn't make seeing how one particular girl had been affected any better.

Yahiro growled while trying unsuccessfully, as he usually did, to forget Megumi Yamamoto. It was definitely hard to forget she existed; after all, she was famous now. It was as if he couldn't go outside without seeing her picture or hearing her name on someone else's lips.

It probably didn't help that he bought all her music, watched every show religiously, and had made following her career into his second job.

Even so, it wasn't because he cared for her. It was because she was a very promising young artist, who was finally reaching out to be in the public eye more than just in concert. It was because her singing had always comforted him, and with all his stress, that was a good thing.

His brain had a little part that liked to taunt him and tell him he was lying to himself. Yahiro liked to imagine that part of his brain was being dipped in acid.

And yet… five years had changed her. And not just physically, because Yahiro hadn't noticed those changes because he'd always kept an eye on her. It had taken looking back in an old scrapbook Sakura had forced on him during third year to realize she had grown. No, she'd just grown up in general.

The Megumi he'd known wouldn't have flirted with anyone; she wouldn't know how to! She would tell the world about an unrequited crush though, so he wasn't completely disappointed. She hadn't changed completely.

And she hadn't forgotten him. The pleasure he felt at that thought was denied whole-heartedly. She'd be better off forgetting him. Megumi deserved better, she always had. She should forget him, find someone she could date and get close to for real.

Yahiro would completely forget thinking that when he saw the paper the next morning.

* * *

><p>MBP: I thought Yahiro should make an appearance. Seriously, he didn't want to. He fought the entire time.<p>

Rini: I thought he'd show up later.

MBP: No. He needed a reason to show up.

Rini: So…

MBP: Okay, so he just needed an appearance. His grand reappearance in Megumi's life is in progress, but he needed to be present in the story first. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. Please review, tell me what you think! Thanks!

Rini: BYE!


	3. Chapter 3

MBP: Yes, it's been a while. I know. School, then work, then absolute writer's block. Sorry!

Kio: B-but we've got an update now...

MBP: Yes. WE HAVE AN UPDATE! Apparently, the cure for writer's block is waking up in the middle of the night, losing hours of glorious sleep, and writing. Who knew? It certainly explains my lack of updates; I like sleep.

Rini: Oh, get to the point and let them read already! We own nothing, except Mitsuru! He's all ours!

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Chapter Three<strong>_

_Love at First Sight?_

Megumi choked on her tea, seeing both her and Mitsuru's pictures on the papers when she sat down to read that morning. Putting the teacup down quickly, but carefully, Megumi then grabbed at the paper, hoping she wasn't seeing what she thought she was.

Nope. She wasn't just tired from a long night and an early start. Megumi stared in horror at the pictures, then the captions, and then the article itself.

When had she become so famous that her _love life_ (and honestly, _lack_ of a love life) had become worthy to be plastered on actual newspapers instead of normal magazines and internet blogs? Or had this been because it was two familiar public faces involved and that would sell more papers?

Oh no. Mitsuru. What if this caused problems for him? She was already nervous about how her own producer was going to react; how much more complicated would this be for Mitsuru?

Being the only one awake and coherent at this hour wasn't a consolation as it normally was; it just meant that she had longer to wait for reactions. Alisa would probably be pleased, while the S.A. would get concerned and start asking questions. Sakura would very likely jump in and grill Megumi at the same time her brothers were trying to get answers calmly about Mitsuru.

Very predictable, which made Megumi smile. Her friends were always dependable, always there for her. While many people thought she was naïve and innocent, Megumi knew that very few things in life could be depended on completely. She could hope, but she'd always known that nothing was permanent, that everything would change.

She'd just been glad to find out that her friends, however much they would move about or change, would always have her back.

Hours later, she was glad to have that support, not only from her friends, but from fans that swarmed her with emails and commenting on her website with glee. Apparently, they all _approved_ of the match, which meant that her producer did as well, though he did mention how he needed to know about things ahead of time so he could control the press even slightly.

"Wait, so if he approves… then you can totally go on that second date with Mitsuru!" Alisa squealed to herself over the phone, trying unsuccessfully to hide her glee from her friend. "This is perfect! Has he called you?"

"It's only seven!" Megumi protested, watching her tv on mute while she was on the phone. "He's still doing his show, and he…"

"Are you watching him?" Trust Alisa to catch on, even when she's not giving any signs about it. "Oh, you are so going on a second date with him! Okay, before his show's over, spill! What did you guys do after we left?"

"Ate. Danced. He walked me to my car," Megumi tried denying her obviously excited her friend the details, though she knew that she'd tell in the end. It was just amusing to hear Alisa's reactions.

"Okay, that is so not helpful!" Megumi could hear the pout in Alisa's voice and laughed, telling her friend what happened easily, keeping some things to herself.

"Alisa, the show's about to end," Megumi interrupted Alisa's rant about how perfect this all was, sitting up straighter even though no one could see her. "I'll…"

"Call me later! We'll arrange a meet-up and talk in person! Tell me everything!" Megumi blinked when her friend hung up on her, chuckling to herself.

Good old Alisa.

Huh. She should have probably asked Alisa how things went with Aoi. Megumi made a mental note to do that first thing when they saw each other.

An hour and a half later, Mitsuru still hadn't called, making Megumi antsy. Maybe he didn't want anything to do with her anymore. Maybe he'd even been told to stay away from her! She knew she'd caused a problem! She should have just…

Megumi's internal panic was interrupted by the doorbell, causing her to just stare in confusion in that direction. She wasn't expecting company; this was what she was calling her 'vacation time' before she went overseas. This was supposed to be the time where her friends would call, and if she was remembering them right, the first actual visit from anyone besides Alisa would be next week.

The newspaper probably got them moving faster than expected.

As she expected to see one of the S.A., Megumi didn't bother checking out the peephole, opening the door easily with a casual, "I wasn't expecting any of you so… Mitsuru?" The last part came out on a squeak, making her visitor laugh.

"Hello Megumi," Mitsuru handed her a small bouquet of roses, looking amused. "With that welcome…"

"I thought…" Megumi shook her head, relaxing enough to smile. "My friends are a little… overprotective. I figured it was one of them about the article."

"Not expecting me?" Mitsuru looked slightly disappointed when Megumi shook her head, looking a little worried herself.

"I thought that the publicity from the article would be bad for you," she admitted quietly, shuffling her feet nervously. The silence after her admission didn't help matters either.

She blinked and looked up when she heard laughter. "You were worried about me?" Mitsuru shoved his hands in his pocket, grinning widely. "My producers were _pleased_. They were even talking about sending you presents. People were beginning to wonder about my sexuality; you fixed that problem. I talked them out of it, just so you know."

Megumi frowned, clutching the bouquet closer. "Well, you're welcome for fixing your problem."

"H-hey!" Mitsuru realized he'd made a mistake somewhere and shook his head. "That's not what I meant! I… okay, let's start that part over. Producers are happy, no problem. And while I wish that the press weren't always so invasive, I personally like having you around, so can you forgive me?"

"…Do you want to come in?"

"Huh?" Mitsuru had obviously expected to grovel more, so he didn't quite understand the question.

Megumi lifted the flowers slightly. "I need to put these in water; do you want to come in?"

Mitsuru blinked and then nodded. "Yeah. So, what did you producers think? Of the article."

"The fans were happy, so they were happy," Megumi called over her shoulder, taking a vase down from her cabinet easily. She was used to bouquets coming her way, so she always had a few extras. "Do you want something to drink?"

"I'm alright," Mitsuru watched from the living room, glancing around to memorize the simple but completely welcoming area. He grinned at the childish knick-knacks, and moved closer to examine some of the many pictures in the area. "Your friends?"

Megumi followed into the living room, the vase of roses in her hands. "Yes. They're from my class in school; we're still close."

"I can see that," Mitsuru teased, looking closer. "I don't see Alisa in there."

"Hmm? Oh, she wasn't in our class," Megumi put the flowers on the table, shifting some of her papers to make room. "That picture was from before we started really being friends. Thanks, by the way. I don't think I said that yet."

"For what?"

"The flowers." Megumi stepped closer, grinning at the picture herself. Kei was carrying Hikari, just as he had that whole day, claiming it as his reward for winning a contest. "I never said I liked this color; I'm surprised you knew."

"I didn't," Mitsuru admitted, smirking at an unknown joke. "I figured they were funny, giving the headlines this morning."

"Funny?" Megumi frowned in confusion, glancing back at the flowers.

"Yeah, lavender roses are supposed to stand for 'love at first sight'," Mitsuru's smirk grew when Megumi blushed and stared at the flowers. "I thought, 'hey, why not?'"

Megumi tried to frown, but was unwillingly amused and a giggle escaped. "It's not funny!" she protested weakly, turning to look at another picture. This one had Yahiro and Sakura in it, and it was the only one with Yahiro that was shown in her apartment.

"Yes it is," Mitsuru returned, his gaze following hers to the picture. "You know… you might warn a guy that you've got an ex-boyfriend who's out for blood."

"Huh? B-but I don't!" Megumi turned around, eyes wide. She'd never even officially _dated_ in her life, let alone had a boyfriend. How could she, when she'd been too shy and too in love with Yahiro?

"Really? He certainly doesn't leave that impression." Mitsuru gestured towards the picture with Yahiro. "Everyone knows the Saiga name. Not everyone gets a call practically threatening them with the Saiga power at four in the morning though."

"What?" Megumi was officially confused, and she showed it with a tilted head and furrowed brow.

"You know, the warning call saying that if I got close to you, I'd better not hurt you or do anything… well…" Mitsuru didn't say what could be assumed. "Something about powerful friends, Saiga group, a lot of hype like that. Again, four in the morning, so I was still half-asleep."

"And not paying attention to threats?" Megumi felt her hands trembling, instinctively knowing Mitsuru was telling the truth. It wasn't the first time it had been mentioned, that she had powerful friends. She'd always just assumed they were talking about Kei, but that wasn't true apparently.

Mitsuru, sensing the fury in the girl, attempted to lighten the mood with a shrug. "What can I say? I live on the wild side. Plus…" He grinned at the furious glare she sent him, holding his hands up in fake surrender. "I like you. I don't let people decide who my friends are, no matter how powerful they are."

Fury gone, and Mitsuru mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done. Honestly, he was glad he wasn't the one she was mad at. If she ever was that mad at _him_…

"You know…" Megumi murmured, glancing at the roses and then back at Mitsuru. "You're different. Than you were on tv and from my first impression."

"What can I say?" Mitsuru shrugged again, not minding the implication, seeing as he was a flirt on-screen and Megumi's first impression wasn't the greatest in the world. "We live in the public eye. Everyone's got a role to play."

"And the nice guy? Is that a role?" Megumi asked hesitantly, biting her lip as if regretting the words. It wasn't her fault that people (_Yahiro_) would change at the blink of an eye and change everything. She just didn't want Mitsuru to do the same thing.

Apparently he understood that words weren't going to mean anything and reached out to take her hand. "How will you find out if you stay in here all day?"

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

"I just can't believe it! He hasn't even _tried_ to talk to anyone besides Kei in years and now he's threatening Mitsuru? I just can't see it," Alisa tried to rationalize it in her head, but couldn't. It was just so out of character for Yahiro that it was impossible.

"I couldn't either, but why would Mitsuru lie?" Megumi pointed out, ignoring the fact that she barely knew him and she knew Yahiro much better. "Besides, Yahiro is possessive. Maybe he just assumed I'd wait like I did before and got annoyed when I didn't."

That was a very good possibility and Alisa nodded after a moment. She could buy that. Alisa remembered the one time she'd mentioned setting Megumi up on a blind date back in high school and Yahiro had sent her a look that said if she tried, someone would get hurt.

"Well, we don't need to worry about that, but…. If it's true… that means Mitsuru is serious about you! This is great!" Alisa gushed, bouncing on her couch excitedly. "I mean, going up against _Yahiro_ of all people? It's right out of a romance novel!"

"Let's not go that far," Megumi murmured, smiling to herself. Yes, Alisa never changed, still looking for that happy ending. Not that Megumi wasn't, but…

"But Megumi, this is great! I mean, you're 23 and you haven't had your first real serious relationship yet! Maybe Mitsuru is the one!" Alisa was not in the realm of reality and started ranting about starting wedding plans.

"I don't know…" Megumi teased -because maybe Mitsuru and Yahiro had more of an effect on her than she'd thought- with a grin. "He doesn't like chocolate. That might be a deal breaker."

Alisa squeaked and started protesting, only pausing to glare at Aoi as he walked by the room. No, the end of her night had not gone well by the looks of it. Megumi made sure to ask quietly before Alisa could start again.

Alisa groaned dramatically and shook her head. "Aoi was being Aoi… as usual. But let's be completely serious. Do you think you could be serious about Mitsuru? Because chocolate is not a deal breaker, not with the way he made sure you got some chocolate cake."

"It's only been two days…" Megumi murmured thoughtfully, tapping her leg absently. Could she be serious about Mitsuru? Originally, she'd thought he was like Yahiro, but that wasn't completely true. There were too many differences between the two… differences she'd actually liked. Mitsuru was funny, and while he teased her, didn't actually insult her past the first time. She could relax around him, be herself, let down the composed mask the public saw and just… react.

But Yahiro… he was her first love, the person she fought so hard to prove herself to. There was still a part of her that wanted to be someone he could be proud of, someone he could care about. She knew him, the same way he knew her, almost better than herself. How do you just let something like that go?

But she wasn't, was she? She'd held a torch for Yahiro for over _five years _and never once had he ever returned her feelings. She'd just been an amusement for him over high school, and as soon as that was over, he left her alone. He'd left them all alone, except for Kei and business.

Megumi bit her lip while Alisa let her think in silence. Chattering wouldn't do her friend any good. Rushing wouldn't do Megumi a service at all.

"Honestly…" Megumi started quietly, staring at her fingers as she linked them together. "I don't know. I don't know if I'll fall in love, or just be friends, or if we'll hate each other. It's not… Mitsuru and I… it could go any way at all. But I'm willing to take the chance. I just don't know what that means."

Except they both knew what it meant. Megumi didn't take chances on relationships unless there was _something_ there. Even if she couldn't explain it right now, or if she just didn't want to, Megumi felt something for Mitsuru and was going to find out what.

Alisa felt something change in the air. Her best friend was asking her for help in her own way, taking a risk that Alisa herself had been too scared to do. Megumi was taking a huge gamble, with her heart on the line.

Alisa wasn't going to let her take that leap alone. "Then you're going to find out. But I'm going to be here for you… every step of the way."

()~~()~~()~~()~~()

_"Have you ever done this before?" Mitsuru helped her into the Ferris Wheel, watched her laugh as she nodded happily._

_"It's my favorite!" She chirped in reply, moving in to stare out the window, pulling off the sunglasses she'd donned to avoid catching the attention of fans or press. Mitsuru did the same, sitting next to her easily. "Especially at the top when you can see everything! Alisa and I got on one to escape Aoi once, and we saw him looking for her from the window."_

_Mitsuru laughed, glancing out the window as they started rising. "Sounds like fun!"_

_"What about you? What adventures did you and your friends have?" Megumi asked, turning to look at him._

_"Not much. Mostly we competed over girls," Mitsuru joked, running a hand through his hair easily. "Normal boy stuff. Girls wouldn't understand."_

_Megumi tossed her head back proudly with a smile. "Try me."_

_"Nah, it's been way too long. That's all boy stuff; I'm a man now and that's irrelevant," Mitsuru decided, guessing that Megumi might actually understand if he told her. She certainly wasn't like other girls._

_Megumi sent him a glance, telling him that she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Oh, I see. So, what adventures do **men** have?"_

_Mitsuru grinned, glad to see her teasing. "Well, we don't brag about girls –women- anymore. At least, the good ones don't. The good ones work on flirting and finding the right woman. Mostly."_

_"Mostly?" Megumi raised an eyebrow skeptically, folding her hands on her lap._

_"Well, we are men. If finding the right woman leads us to a few good experiences before that…" Megumi laughed and pushed Mitsuru's shoulder gently, looking out the window peacefully._

_Mitsuru hesitated, then took Megumi's hand in his own, looking out the window with her, relaxing when she didn't pull away. Megumi glanced over her shoulder, slightly taken back by how close his face was to hers, how serious his eyes were when they met her own._

_"Of course… being men, we're not ready when the right woman shows up," Mitsuru whispered, staying in place for a moment before drawing back slightly, smiling as he looked out the other window while Megumi was left staring, her heart racing in her chest so loudly she was sure he could hear it._

_But she left her hand in his, even after they exited the Ferris Wheel and headed back home._

* * *

><p>MBP: Okie-dokie, there it is! In case you're wondering, the italicized section at the end is something that happened when Megumi and Mitsuru went out to prove he's a nice guy. You know, the part I'm being evil about and not showing all the good stuff.<p>

Rini: HEY! What is this? I WANNA SEE THE DATE!

Kio: Anyone else notice she didn't tell Alisa the details?

MBP: That's kind of the point dear boy. This is the turning point. But Yahiro should show up soon. Like... either in the next two chapters soon.

Rini: I'm not seeing much YahiroxMegumi action...

MBP: I PROMISE, THIS WILL BE A YAHIROXMEGUMI FIC! MitsuruxMegumi will not be the end result. But seriously? Five years of no Yahiro and only silence? The boy has to earn back the trust.

Rini: Sure...

Kio: She just likes Mitsuru...

MBP: IGNORE THEM! Anyways, please send in a nice review telling me what you think and if you enjoyed it!


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